Question

Asked by Tai Kenison from usa | Nov. 01, 2019 00:00

About:72-Hour Visa-Free Transit FAQ

My passport expires May 2, 2020

Hello,
I have 2 trips planned (Nov. 22-25 and Dec. 31-Jan 1) in which I will be visiting Shanghai and Chengdu. My first question is regarding when my passport will expire. I read that 3 months before expiration is required but I also see advice that I need 6 months to expiration. If 6 months, then both of my trips would not be eligible. I would only have a little over 5 months and then 4 months. Please tell me if 3 or 6 months validity is required on my USA passport.

Trip 1: Fly from Newark (USA) to Shanghai, arriving Nov. 22, 2019, stay 2 days, fly to Chengdu for 11 hours layover and then fly to Vietnam on Nov. 25.

Trip 2: Fly from Narita (Japan) on Dec. 31 to Shanghai, fly to Newark (USA) on Jan. 1, 2020.

Aside from my passport expiring, do both of my trips qualify for Visa Free Transit in China?

Thanks!

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Answers (5)

Answered by Thomas | Nov. 01, 2019 01:09

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You need a new passport for the trip as trip 1 requires a visa.

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Answered by Tai Kenison | Nov. 01, 2019 05:53

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I counted the hours for Trip 1, Shanghai and Chengdu. I should qualify for the 72 hour free transit. No?

Is Chengdu the problem? An expedited China Visa would be very expensive ($180 each) so we would change our plans or stay in the airport for 11 hours.

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Answered by CDKING | Nov. 01, 2019 05:29

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You will need to go to a US Passport office in NYC to do an urgent passport renewal. The once you have that you will need to apply for an urgent Chinese visa, in NYC.

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Answered by Thomas | Nov. 01, 2019 06:59

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@ Tai

The problem at Trip 1 is, you have 2 stops within China and that does limit your transit time to 24h.

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Answered by Tai Kenison | Nov. 01, 2019 07:59

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Thanks everyone for your responses. We decided to apply for 10-year multi-entry VISA, which is eligible for US, UK, Canada, and Argentina. It’s the same price as a single entry! and I’ll get it after I renew my passport, which would also run for 10 years. A perfect match because we plan to visit various Chinese cities in the future.

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